The National tribune., 1887-08-18
THE cRUELEsr ISLANDER.

lhL tAsIIff-SI Si4ANDEh.
The cruelest feature Of the warfare which
certain papers and politicians are making
on the veterans is their determined insist
ence that money was the principal induce
ment which took men into the army.
IL seems incredible that any men should
have the eflrontery TO make such assertions
in face Of the facts personally known to
every man and woman of middle age in the
country. But when men are moved by
malignant hate they care little for the prob
ability of the ISLANDERS they utter. In order
10 rob the veterans of their rights
these men are willing TO degrade our
National character, and make it APP
pear TO the world and TO our own children
that the average American man of 1865
was without patriotism or courage; that he
could only be persuaded to do his duty by
enormous brides, and when once lured into
the army by the promise of big bounty and
high pay, his natural and almost unconquer-
able propensity was to desert for the sake of
getting another bounty, OF to skulk in the
rear. The more bitter of the ex-Confed-
crate papers say this outright, and their
coadjntors and allies try TO convey the same
impression with less direct language. Some
of them may pretend a friendship for the
veteran, and may occasionally indulge in
some empty and glittering generalities
about his patriotism and valor, but when it
comes TO anything real and practical, then
these papers can only see bounty-grabbers,"
Substitutes" "coffee-coolers," "shirks."
There has never been any form or shape Of
pension legislation proposed yet which these
same papers have not sOlemnly assured the
public was only desired by the "shirks,
cofiee-cOolers," etc, and no man or paper
that ever voices the sentiments of the suryiv-
ing veterans, escapes denunciation by these
malignants, as only representing the scum
of the army.
Now, so far from money having been an
incentive to patriotism, there was never in
all the history Of the world men who made
so much pecuniary sacrifice in order to serve
their country as those who formed the bulk of
our armies in 1875. Had there been no
other inducement than money. 10 times
what was offered them would not have
taken them TO the field. What possible
temptation was S11 month in April, 1861,
TO the $1,000 men and boys who left their
homes and situations to respond to tie Presi-
dents first call? What temptation was Sl3
a month and 500 bounty to the 100000
men who left everything to respond to the
Presidents calls in 1S6l-2P The pay and
bounties were higher in 1864, but as the
money they were paid in was deprecated,
the difference was not great. There were
very few men, indeed, who enlisted under
any of the calls, but could have made vastly
more money by staying at home. Substan-
tally every man who put his name ON an
enlistment-roll did so at a great money loss
to himself He made a sacrifice, and knew
he was making sacrifice, of money and
worldly prospects-possibly of health and
liie-when he signed the roll, but he did it
because he was actuated by as lofty pa
triotism as ever beat in the heart of man.
1t is ineflably mean, ungrateful and cruel
to have men who did all this now tainted
with mercenary motives by men who never
gave up dollar or the pleasures OF CON-
Portable bed for the country, and who never
periled their bodies within hundred miles Of
a line Of battle.